guildhall historical association articles published 1944 ... papers -w… · web viewtitle, by...

GUILDHALL HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION A Summary of Papers 1944 - date

Title, by whom read and when Summary of Article

Committee AllowancesSir Cuthbert Whitaker MA, FSA

27 July 1944

Coach hire expenses before 1809; allowances to Committees for refreshments thereafter, listed in Pocket Books 1824-1924; coach hire and “line money” paid to members for attendance, technically abolished 1836; summer excursions on the River Thames for Members and their wives on board the former State barge Maria Wood abolished 1885; defence of Committee allowances before 1854 Royal Commission; foundation of the Guildhall Club at the end of the 19th century; Committee luncheons; institution of the budget system by Harvey Preen, Chairman of the Coal, Corn and Finance Committee; the current [1944] system of Committee allowances.

Some Notes on the City’s CashMajor J Lockhart Gow MC

11 May 1945

The historical origin of the City’s private purse; an explanation of the title of the Coal, Corn and Finance Committee; the City’s revenues and expenditure from the Middle Ages; the City Lands; the Royal Contract and the Conduit Mead Estate; John Carpenter’s bequest; the City Markets.

Some Observations on A.R.P. and Civil DefenceF.W. Brundle CBE

4 September 1945

The beginnings of the Committee; the author’s work as Committee chairman from 1937 with the assistance of the new City Engineer and Medical Officer of Health; development of ARP in the country and City; air raids, damage and casualties in the City; contingency measures; salvage statistics; Fire Guards organisation; standing down from April 1945 and dispersal from July 1945.

The Special CommitteeMajor G.H.M. Vine TD

3 April 1946

Background of attacks on the Corporation during the 19th century, especially the 1853 Royal Commission and the proposed reforms of 1882, which caused the first appointment of the Special Committee [fore-runner of the current Policy and Resources Committee] in 1883 to protect the Corporation’s rights; the 1893 Royal Commission; its part in the formation of Metropolitan Borough Councils in 1899 and the winding up of the first Special Committee; its re-establishment in 1904 and terms of reference; its work respecting rates unification and the Union of Parishes Act 1907; its other areas of work and influence; chairmen.

The Title and Office of Chief CommonerLt.-Col. G.J. Cullum Welch OBE, MC

1 July 1946

Origin of the term “commoner;” origin of the City Lands and CL Committee; evolution of the title of Chief Commoner for the chairman of that Committee in the 3rd quarter of the 19th century; proposals to elect a Chief Commoner separate from the chairmanship of the City Lands Committee in 1905; arguments for and against the official recognition of the Chief Commoner as a spokesman for the Court of Common Council in 1907; official recognition of the title from 1918; precedence; Chief Commoner’s room.

of 41



The Court of AldermenSir Frank Newson-Smith Bt.

30 September 1946

Origin and development of the City Wards and the powers of Aldermen since Saxon times; gradual increase of administrative business taken over by Common Council; functions and business of the Court of Aldermen, especially respecting elections, Freedoms, City Livery Companies and justice; the continuing role of the Aldermen in the civic constitution.

Tithe Rate in the City of LondonSir Cuthbert Whitaker MA, FSA

30 December 1946

A brief history of religious tithes; tithes in England from 1066 to 1936; the difference between them and tithes in the City of London; Acts of Parliament of 1670 and 1804 affecting City tithes; effects of the City of London (Union of Parishes) Act 1907 and the role of the Special Committee in its passage; problems caused by the Second World War and attempts at reform; collection of City tithe rate as part of the City’s rates from City of London (Tithe) Act 1947.

The Public Health Department of the Corporation of LondonJ.H. Morton FCA

31 March 1947

Development of Ward-based sanitation, sewerage, street cleansing and lighting up to 1667; the Great Fire of London 1666 and its consequences; Commissioners of Sewers and the development of public health measures 1668-1898, including the City of London Sewers Act 1848; the City of London Sewers Act 1897; the formation, development and duties of the Public Health Department and its Committees 1898-1947; current [1947] public health provisions in the City.

The City of London Freemen’s School: Cives in loco parentisGervase E Wood

30 June 1947

The background to the foundation of the School by Act of Parliament of 1850; the conversion of the London Workhouse endowments into funds for a school; the separate foundation of the City of London School by Act of Parliament of 1834; Warren Stormes Hale and the foundation of the City of London School (1837) and the City of London Freemen’s Orphan School (1854); the Freemen’s School at Brixton (1854-1926) and Ashtead (1926-date).

The Early History of the City of LondonSir Cuthbert Whitaker MA, FSA

30 September 1947

The unknown origins of the City of London; London’s geographical and strategic advantages; Roman London and its decay; Saxon London and the appointment of Alfred the Great’s son-in-law, Ethelred as Governor of London in 886 and its apparent county status thereafter; offices of Portreeve and Sheriff of the City and of Middlesex; the Norman Conquest and the granting of the “William Charter” c.1067, ratifying existing rights and privileges of Londoners; the City’s medieval attempts at extending its independence from the Crown; the granting of the Commune in 1191 and the subsequent development of City government along the lines of that of national government; citizens’ rights guaranteed by Magna Carta 1215; development of democratic government and Common Council from the 1320s; the City of London’s unique constitution and the relatively late development of the term “Corporation of London”; non-party political nature of the City’s government.

of 41



The Privileges of the City of LondonLeonard C Beecroft FCA

29 December 1947

Difficulties of defining City of London’s privileges; those relating to trade and commerce, especially import, export and marketing, (including some very obscure offices) which largely disappeared in the 18th century and were finally abolished in 1856; legal privileges of the Lord Mayor and of Aldermen as Justices of the Peace; City’s right to elect its own Mayor, Aldermen and especially Sheriff; rights of citizens to be tried in City Courts; City’s ceremonial privileges, including the Lord Mayor’s Show, greeting the Sovereign at Temple Bar, privileged regiments and the Lord Mayor’s responsibilities relating to the accession of the Sovereign; numerous privileges (some now out of date) in relation to Parliament; privilege of entertaining royalty; privileged unwritten constitution of the City and the Custom of London; administrative privileges, including the right to change the constitution; privilege of possessing the City Lands and funds other than the rates.

The City Livery CompaniesHumphrey W Morris

22 March 1948

Origin of Livery Companies in late Saxon times and their development from religious fraternities; their control over their trades and crafts in the medieval period as they became more powerful; inter-Company strife in the 13th and 14th centuries; their regulation by the Court of Aldermen and their powers in the civic constitution of London; halls and their destruction in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and their rebuilding after it; Company Freemen and rules regulating them; attacks on Livery Companies from the 1870s and the Royal Commission appointed in 1880; their charitable work; the Companies’ role in the Protestant plantation of Ulster in the 17th century; notes of interest respecting several individual Companies (mostly the Great Twelve Companies).

Boundary Marks in the City of LondonSir Frederick Tidbury-Beer

1948

Parish, ward and property marks, some covered in “Boundary and Property Marks in London” by L.B. Ellis in British Archaeological Association’s Journal (3rd series, vol. VIII, 1943); particular examples of marks and plaques and stories associated with the places marked; varying designs and symbols; with illustrations of several ward and parish marks.

Port of London AuthorityR.E. Philp

30 August 1948

The importance of the River Thames to the development of London; the growth of London as a trading port from Roman times onwards; establishment of the Lord Mayor as Conservator of the River Thames from Staines to the Medway in 1393; preservation of fishing and navigation and the jurisdiction of the Courts of Conservancy in Middlesex, Essex, Surrey and Kent; the Lord Mayor’s ceremonial views of the Thames and the various Navigation Barges; the work of the Navigation Committee; dispute between the Corporation and the Crown over the title to the soil and bed of the Thames settled in 1856, and the Corporation’s loss of the Thames conservancy to a new body of Thames Conservators; development of the West and East India Docks and other docks east of the City in the late 18th and early 19th centuries; establishment of the Port of London Authority in 1908.

The Custom of LondonIrving Gane, Chamberlain of London

29 November 1948

The establishment of the Custom of London since the “William Charter” of c. 1067; the difficulty of defining the Custom and the pre-eminence of an oral tradition over a written one with regard to it; the temporary loss of the City’s privileges under Quo Warranto 1683 – 1688; the City’s power to amend the Custom of London by Act of Common Council; extinguishing of Custom (e.g. City’s jurisdiction over testamentary bequests; admission of married women to the City Freedom); the legal status of the Custom and its survival through flexibility.

of 41



St Paul’s CrossP.E Jones LL.B, F.R.Hist.S.

31 January 1949

Brief history of St Paul’s Cross as a preaching cross, with pulpit; use of the Cross as a place to assemble citizens in the Folkmoot and to hear proclamations and announcements and to witness punishments; famous political and religious sermons at the Cross; attendance of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen at sermons from the 15th century, and improvements in their accommodation over time; payments to preachers at Paul’s Cross and the removal of the sermon to the interior of the Cathedral from the 17th century; hospitality to preachers from the 17th century; bequests to preachers from the 15th century; the erection of a memorial on the site of Paul’s Cross in 1909 from a bequest by Mr H.C. Richards, KC.

The City and the MilitiaJ.K. Newson-Smith MA

30 May 1949

The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) (incorporated 1537) the oldest regiment in the British Isles; London militia since Saxon times; privileges of Londoners in the King’s host; provision of soldiers for the Sovereign; City Livery Companies’ bowmen; practice of archery and events leading to the establishment of the HAC; reorganisations of the London Train Bands in the 17th century; other towns and cities copy London’s example in the training of militia; lease of the Artillery Ground still used by the HAC from 1641; London Train Bands in the Civil War and later in the 17th century; practice from the 1690s onwards of citizens paying deputies to serve, and the falling off of efficiency of the Train Bands; divergence of the Train Bands and the HAC after 1777; expulsion of the Lord Mayor from the HAC in 1780; establishment of the London Rifle Brigade by Aldermen and City Officers in 1859.

Outdoor Monuments in the City of LondonSir Cuthbert Whitaker MA, FSA

29 August 1949

Events leading to the research and publication of a report in 1949 by the Chairman of the Special Committee and the Deputy Keeper of the Records listing all the outdoor monuments within the City of London, with some omissions from that report in this article, namely Aldgate Pump, Aldersgate Boundary Marks, Bunhill Fields Burial Ground, Cornhill Pump, Holborn Bars, Paul’s Cross, Royal Exchange, St Bride’s and Bridewell Precinct Schools, Smithfield Garden and Fountain, statues from the front of Guildhall Chapel on the staircase from Basinghall Street to Guildhall Library.

[Rider concerning the suggestion that Bunhill Fields Burial Ground should become a garden of rest, which was, in 1949, still considered a “live” issue. Sir Cuthbert Whitaker was obliged to state that the opinions in the article were his own personal views and not to be regarded as propaganda in encouraging Members to vote against the scheme when it was proposed in Common Council.]

Some Notes on the Bank of England and Her Connection with the Chamber of London, and Certain Other Aspects of Civic LifeAlderman E.V.M. Stockdale

29 December 1949

Chamber of London and Livery Companies (especially the Goldsmiths’) acting as banks for 100 years prior to establishment of the Bank of England in 1694; venture capital, personal and Government loans from the Chamber in the early 17th century; the Chamberlain appointed Receiver of taxes imposed for repayment; growing strain on the Corporation’s finances during the 17th century due to increased borrowing, but crisis masked and delayed by Orphans’ money; Chamber retrenchment led to formation of Bank of England; same people involved in Chamber, Bank of England and Livery Companies (using the Grocers’ as an example); the site of the Bank of England.

of 41



Notes Upon the History of the City LieutenancyGilbert Davis

13 March 1950

The City trained bands, particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries; earliest Commission of City Lieutenancy in 1617; City trained bands fighting for Parliament during the Civil War; Act of 1662 establishing the Lieutenancy as it exists today; Trophy Tax; preparations against the Young Pretender in 1745; trained bands absorbed into the Militia from 1794; foundation of the Volunteer Force in 1858; modern successors to the trained bands.

The London Food MarketsW.F. Bonsor OBE

12 June 1950

Reliance of Londoners on markets for food; how the food reached the markets; non-profit-making nature of markets before the 17th century; mainly retail nature of London’s markets; effect of London’s markets on the Home Counties and further afield; growth of middle-men or agents between supplier and market; increased number of market gardens around London; particular characteristics of Smithfield Market, the Borough Market in Southwark and the Stocks Market; possible future of the Corporation’s markets.

St Mary-Le-Bow ChurchCol. C.C.O. Whiteley OBE, MC, JP

27 September 1950

Possible Roman foundations in the crypt; the building since Norman times; origin of the name “Bow”; adjacent site of Royal Sild, from which royalty watched jousts and events in Cheapside; rebuilding after the Great Fire of London; dragon weathervane; Bow Bells; church plate.

London and the Royal NavyCommander R.J. Hayward RD, RNR

29 December 1950

London’s interests in the sea; merchant shipping and Londoners’ assistance to the Crown in providing ships for defence in times of war, especially during medieval Anglo-French wars; London’s help against the Armada in 1588; London and the Ship Money dispute with Charles I; ships bearing the name London; City honours granted to great naval figures in Napoleonic wars; 20th century hospitality to naval figures.

A Short Paper on Epping ForestA.J. Osborn

30 July 1951

Brief history of the Forest since its foundation by William I; commoners’ rights; gradual encroachments, increasing in the early 19th century; the Corporation of London’s acquisition of commoners’ rights in the Forest through its purchase of Aldersbrook Farm for the City of London Cemetery; the Corporation’s legal battle to prevent further enclosure of the Forest and its eventual victory; the Epping Forest Act 1878; the Forest and its government in 1951; local landmarks and legends; notable people associated with the Forest; Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge and Copthall; modern and recent threats to the Forest from War Department works and housing schemes.

London BridgeS.J. Fox

29 October 1951

Probable Roman bridge; 1st reference to London Bridge in 980; destruction of it by King Olaf in 1014 and the rhyme “London Bridge is broken down”; Peter de Colechurch’s stone bridge, built 1176-1209 and links with the Church; size of the Bridge and the houses which were built upon it before their removal in 1760; famous stories relating to the Bridge; royal entrances and pageants there; the Bridge House Estates properties and historical income to 1950; beneficial working class housing south of the Thames built by the Bridge House Trust.

of 41



The Romance of Private BankingAlderman F.A. Hoare

31 December 1951

Gold shortage leading Charles II to refuse to repay over £1,000,000 owed to London merchants in 1672; Goldsmith bankers acting as safety deposits in the 17th century; growth of receipt notes and cheques (first cheque in 1676); famous figures in banking: Thomas Leyland of Liverpool and his involvement in lucrative slavery; his partnership with William Roscoe the humanitarian and abolitionist in Clarke’s and Roscoe’s Bank 1802-1806; Leyland’s increasing fortune and success in Liverpool; Jonathan Backhouse of Darlington, Quaker banker and popular stories about him; stories of the rivalry, friendship and similarities between Child’s Bank, 1 Fleet Street and Hoares Bank, 37 Fleet Street from the 17 th century to 1924; the history of Hoares Bank and its survival as the last of once 721 private banks.

The River ThamesW.E. Sykes MC, JP

31 March 1952

Weirs and locks on the River, and the competing interests of bargemen, fishermen, millers and the riverside population; grant of jurisdiction over the Thames to the City of London by Richard I in 1197; problems with weirs and rubbish in the River in the Middle Ages; appointment of the Navigation Committee in 1770 and its work in clearing obstructions from 1774; acquisition of all tollpath tollgates below Staines and the construction of pound locks at Chertsey, Shepperton, Sunbury and Teddington; the Corporation’s Thames barges; railway competition; the Corporation’s loss of the Thames Conservancy under the 1857 Act; Thames conservancy after 1857; the establishment of the Port of London Authority in 1908 for the Thames east of Teddington Lock; the Thames Board of Conservators and a detailed account of its work in 1952; fishing on the Thames; swans and swan-upping.

[The author was the Corporation’s representative on the Thames Board of Conservancy, and Chairman of its Finance and General Purposes Committee at the time the article was written.]

The Wine Trade and the City of LondonAlan S Lamboll

30 June 1952

The London wine trade in Roman and medieval times; the establishment and role of the Vintners’ Company; the growth of spirits in the 17th century and the establishment of the Distillers’ Company; gin in the 18th century; the introduction of port wine and cylindrical bottles in the 18th century; Gladstone’s reform of duty on wines and spirits after 1860 and the introduction of off-licences making wine more accessible; the destruction of French vineyards by Phylloxera after 1870 and the rarity of wine; the current [1952] expensiveness of wine and the small number of people who could afford it.

The Office of Clerk of a Livery CompanyH.W. Keith Calder

30 September 1952

Historical aspects of office of clerk; indispensability of the offices of clerk and beadle to each Company; beadles becoming Clerks in the 16th century; growth of clerks due to increased Company business from 16th century; duties and salaries of clerks; various fellowships of Company clerks; position of clerks in 1952.

of 41



Notes on Some of the Guild Churches of the City of LondonSir Frederick Tidbury-Beer

29 December 1952

Numbers of City churches from medieval times onwards; destruction of many in 1666 Fire of London and subsequently, and in the Second World War; list of the 16 Guild Churches designated in the post-War reorganisation; details of 6 of these: All Hallows London Wall, St Botolph Without Aldersgate, St Andrew Holborn, St Margaret Pattens, St Benet Paul’s Wharf, St Dunstan in the West; appendices of lists of churches not rebuilt after the 1666 Fire of London, those demolished between 1666 and 1939, pre-Fire churches existing in 1939, Wren’s churches existing in 1939 and other churches existing in 1939, with annotation as to those destroyed in the Second World War.

The City and the CrownDeputy J. Lionel P. Denny MC, JP

30 March 1953

Old English kingship and the elective principle; Londoners’ perceived rights in this process; medieval kingship and the evolution of hereditary succession; London’s crucial role in the accessions of Edward IV and Richard III; the accession proclamation; signing the accession proclamation; the proclamation in the City; Coronation ceremonies; the Coronation banquet; the Lord Mayor in Westminster Abbey; the Royal entry; 20th century Coronations.

The Foyle Fishery CaseT.E. Chester Barratt MA, LL.B

29 June 1953

The Irish Society’s legal battle in the High Court of Justice, Dublin, in 1948 to put a stop to extensive poaching of the Society’s fisheries in Northern Ireland by poachers based in Eire; details of the intricacies of the legal case, which turned into the Society’s defence of its right to the fisheries; doctrine of historical impossibility and invoking of Magna Carta; the Society’s attempt to prove its uninterrupted possession of the fishery and the unfortunate wording of the Society’s 1662 charter; the Bishop of Derry’s fishings since 1676; the Society’s loss of the case, but the positive outcome of this; establishment of the Joint Ulster-Eire Fishery Board to clear out the poachers and control the fishery, which could never have happened without the legal case.

Gog and MagogP.E. Jones LL.B, F.R.Hist.S.

30 November 1953

Giants in folklore; use of giants in City pageants from 1413; use of giants in pageants in other English cities in the Middle Ages; use of the names Gogmagog and Corineus for the City giants from the mid-16th century, to recall the legendary foundation of London by Brutus as New Troy; the legend of Gogmagog and Corineus; corruption of the names to Gog and Magog by 1700; setting up of the figures in Guildhall in 1672 and again by Richard Saunders in 1709; work and life of Saunders; destruction of the figures in the bombing of 29 December 1940; replacement of them at the expense of Sir George Wilkinson by David Evans FRBS; details of Evans’s other work; details of the new figures, then [1953] about to be temporarily moved for the restoration of the Guildhall roof.

Blackfriars BridgeP.E. Jones LL.B, F.R.Hist.S.

29 March 1954

London Bridge the only crossing until the 18th century; Corporation’s opposition to proposed bridges at Vauxhall, 1721, Putney, 1729 and Westminster, 1736 as Conservators of the River Thames; its promotion of an Act for a Blackfriars Bridge in 1756; tolls and the financing of the Bridge (not initially Bridge House); Robert Myle’s design; bridge opened 1769; technical problems; access roads across St George’s Fields and their subsequent development; removal of toll 1785; repairs in 1833; damage caused by scouring due to building of new London Bridge 1825-1831; Cubitt’s new Blackfriars Bridge, built 1864-1869; opening by Queen Victoria 1869.

of 41



An Account of Some City PrintersThe Rt. Hon. Lord Ebbisham TD

31 May 1954

Author’s attendance at festival in Mainz in 1940 to commemorate 500 of printing; printing in London since Caxton in the 15th century; office of City Printer from 16th century; selection of printed proclamations issued by the Corporation; unpopularity and excesses of Lord Mayor Henry Winchester, a Stationer; long-standing family printing firms in the City; the author’s firm’s handling of numbering of bank-notes and printing of clothing coupons.

Water Supply of LondonCol. W.W. Dove CBE, TD, DL

27 September 1954

Water supply in the City since Roman times, from the Thames, springs and wells; the Great Conduit in Cheapside, built in 1274 supplied from Tyburn in lead pipes and its maintenance; construction of other public conduits, some by charitable bequests, including Whittington’s; 16th century visits by the Lord Mayor to the conduit heads at Tyburn, Paddington and Marylebone, and the erection of rooms for dinners, including the construction of the Lord Mayor’s Banqueting House, north of Oxford Street at the Tyburn conduit head; guild of Water Bearers from 1496; Peter Morice’s water wheel at London Bridge from 1582 and the London Bridge Water Works; Hugh Myddelton’s New River from Chadwell and Amwell in Hertfordshire and the New River Company, incorporated 1619; growth of water companies 17th-19th centuries; piped water; 20th century Water Board; discovery of Roman wooden water pipe at the Walbrook temple of Mithras.

The London CharterhousePaul Paget

17 January 1955

Sir Walter de Manny’s purchase of the site for the burial of plague victims in 1349 and the erection of a chapel on the ground; establishment of Carthusian monks on the site in 1371; layout of the monastery; detailed account of the rediscovery of Walter de Manny’s grave following the destruction of the site by enemy action in the Second World War and his reburial; monastery sold by Henry VIII to Lord North in 1545; its destruction and the building of a palace from the remains; sale of the house to Thomas Sutton in 1611; foundation of Sutton’s Hospital and School under charter of James I.

Underground Waterways of LondonCol. C.C.O. Whiteley OBE, MC, JP

18 April 1955

Geology and geography of London area; springs and 17th-18th century fashionable spas; details of the Westbourne, Ty Bourne, Hole-bourne or Fleet and Wall Brook or Walbrook, with special emphasis on the last two.

The Surrender of the SwordP.E. Jones LL.B., F.R.Hist.S.

11 July 1955

Common misconception of the Sovereign asking permission to enter the City; description of modern ceremony and its development since the 14th century; royal gifts of swords and their symbolism in London and elsewhere; the Swordbearer; descriptions of royal entries 16th – 19th centuries.

of 41



The Development of Hall Marks on London Silver PlateA. Charles Trinder MA

14 November 1955

Hallmarks and their introduction to England from France in 1300 for towns of origin; Goldsmiths’ Company to administer the system; makers’ marks added 1363; date mark from 1478 and the reasons for it; alterations in marks, especially from 1697 when the silver plate shortage was addressed; restoration of old sterling standard in 1720; new mark for duty 1784-1890; hallmarks for foreign plate; 20th century coronation marks; the necessity of counting the spoons after this meeting!

The City RecordsW.E. Sykes MC, JP

30 January 1956

Historical imitations of access to the City’s archives; letters requesting access from Thomas Carlyle and Thomas Babington Macaulay MP; the Corporation’s care and custody of the archives since the Middle Ages; the Town Clerk as Keeper of the Records since the 15th century; recent measures to exclude atmospheric pollution; staff of the Records Office in 1956; scope of the records; publications; status of the Records Office.

The Silk IndustryDeputy S.R. Walker CBE

30 April 1956

Origins of sericulture in China in 2640 BC; its introduction into England in the 14th century; silk women in the City 14th – 16th century and their decline in the face of increasing industrialisation; Huguenot silk weavers in London in 17th century; developments in production culminating in the Jacquard loom in the early 19th century; silk manufacture moving out of London after 1773; blow to British manufacture after introduction of free trade in 1860; use of silk in First World War and concentration of 90% of raw silk production being in Japanese hands in 1939; introduction of nylon and rayon as silk substitutes; last English producer of silk.

The City Justices and Justice RoomsAlderman C.J. Harman

29 October 1956

Responsibility of Aldermen for peace and good order in their Wards; Lord Mayors as Keepers of the Peace and development of Aldermen as ex officio JPs; possible origin of the Lord Mayor’s Justice Room in the 15th century; history and description of the Mansion House and Guildhall Justice Rooms and the types of cases heard in them; the current excellence of the Aldermen as JPs.

The SwordbearerT. Kingsley Collett CBE

31 December 1956

Swordbearer as first Esquire to the Lord Mayor; origins lost in history, but certainly in evidence in the early 15th century; appointment of office-holder by various bodies until his nomination became a perquisite of the Lord Mayor; fees of the office up to the early 19th century; duties, authority and customs associated with the office; list of Swordbearers.

[First meeting of the GHA at the Mansion House, according to text.]

The History of the Thames WatermenIan E. Philp

29 April 1957

Long history of watermen and lightermen on the Thames; Royal use of them; Acts to regulate them from the 16th century; Lord Mayor’s water procession introduced in 1454; Watermen and Lightermen’s Company from 1559; types of boats, cargoes and work; threats to the trade from coaches from the 16th century, bridges from the 18th century and steamers from the 19th century; Doggett’s Coat and Badge Race, established 1715; modern licensed watermen.

of 41



Royal Commissions and Committees of Enquiry Touching the Corporation of LondonWentworth L Rowland

30 December 1957

Forthcoming Royal Commission on the Government of the Metropolis; earlier Commissions, their recommendations and results: 1833 Municipal Corporations Commission, 1854 Commission on the Existing State of the Corporation of London, later Commissions in 1861, 1866, 1867 and 1884; establishment of the London County Council in 1889; 1893 Amalgamation of the City and County of London Commission; 1921 Commission; continuing uniqueness of the City.

History of InflationA.J. Osborn

31 March 1958

Causes and inevitability of inflation; increase in prices from Babylonian times onwards; new supplies of gold and silver from the Americas into Spain in the 16th century and the enormous inflation caused by it; shortage of coin in the 17th century and adoption of paper money in the North American colonies; paper currency inflation in the 17th century; French Revolution and paper money; financing of the First World War by inflation, followed by period of deflation in UK and America; disastrous inflation in Germany following the War; measures since then to control inflation; City’s historic role in the country’s economy.

Magna CartaDouglas R.H. Hill MA

30 June 1958

The recent return to the Corporation of an inspeximus of Magna Carta of 1300 by the Public Record Office in 1958; Magna Carta 1215 and its subsequent re-issues; the City’s 1297 Magna Carta and other copies elsewhere in the world; the 1300 inspeximus and its background; the 1833 Municipal Corporations Royal Commission and the ensuing copying of the City’s charters by Thomas Duffus Hardy; how the 1300 inspeximus went missing from the Corporation and ended up in the Public Record Office; the Corporation’s current care of its archives.

The Theatre and the City of LondonAlan S. Lamboll

30 September 1958

Development of theatre in spite of, not because of, the Corporation’s opposition; growth of groups of players under patrons’ badges in the 16th century; conflict over regulation and suppression of plays between the Corporation and the Privy Council in the 16th century; control passed to the Master of the Revels, a member of the Royal Household subordinate to the Lord Chamberlain’s in 1573; building of James Burbage’s Theatre outside the City in Shoreditch in 1576 and the Curtain Playhouse nearby in 1577; use of part of old Blackfriars Monastery as a theatre by the Master of the Revels; Henslowe’s Rose Theatre on Bankside, 1587; Swan Theatre, Old Paris Gardens, Bankside, 1593; the Globe Theatre, Bankside, 1597; Hope Theatre, Bankside, 1613; other theatres built before 1640; siting of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama near the site of the Dorset Gardens Theatre; Bernard Miles’s Mermaid Theatre at Puddle Dock [opened 1959]; Corporation’s reversal of its historic anti-theatrical stance in its future approval of a theatre in the new Barbican development.

of 41



Common Crier and Serjeant-at-ArmsP.E. Jones LL.B., FSA

29 December 1958

Lord Mayor’s Esquires; the Crystal Sceptre and subsequent City maces, borne by the Serjeant-at-Arms, who also acted as Common Crier; Serjeant-at-Arms’s house, duties and emoluments; use of maces in England since the Middle Ages; use of insignia in the City; list of office-holders.

The Office of Sheriff of the City of LondonMajor T. Guy F. Richardson, Deputy

31 March 1959

Origin of the office as Saxon Portreeve in the eleventh century; royal charters relating to the shrievalty in the Middle Ages; historic and current shrieval elections and full details of their ceremonial; Under-Sheriffs; duties and role of the Sheriffs.

The Barbican – In RetrospectDeputy Eric F Wilkins

29 June 1959

Continuing desolation of the Barbican area after the War; history of the area and the Ward of Cripplegate Without; details of the history of its six principal streets: Barbican, Beech Street/Lane, Red Cross Street, Whitecross Street, Grub Street (now Milton Street) and Tenter Street;

The Old BaileyVictor Durand QC

31 August 1959

City’s gates used as prisons; seven centuries of appalling conditions in Newgate Gaol; Whittington’s Newgate and subsequent charitable bequests to the gaol; flagrant breaches of regulations and extortion by keepers and turnkeys; the adjacent Sessions House; George Dance’s new gaol and sessions house in the 1770s; Gordon Riots 1780; public executions move from Tyburn to outside Newgate in 1784 until abolished in 1868; reforms in punishments and prisons; new Sessions House 1907; current crime levels and work of the Old Bailey.

City of London PoliceC.F. Lewis

1 December 1959

Brief history of City policing since 1066; watch and ward and constables; 1737 Act and nightly watch and its influence on Peel’s Metropolitan Police Force, 1829; attempts to amalgamate the City’s police with it strenuously resisted by the Corporation; City of London Police Act 1839; buildings and establishment; Houndsditch Murders and Siege of Sydney Street, 1910; traffic lights, 1930; inter-force communications; Second World War; organisation of and changes in City Police since 1949; women PCs; mounted police; dogs; cadets; specialist branches, including Fraud Squad; current difficulties in recruitment.

City Street NamesH.T. Pike

29 February 1960

Oddities in City street names; those inspired by City defences, streams, markets, religious houses, geography, trades and crafts, property owners, famous people, royalty and inn signs; ad hoc process of street naming in Middle Ages and since.

of 41



City BanquetingAlderman Robert I. Bellinger

30 May 1960

Long City history of feasts and good cheer; Livery Company dinners; Mayor’s feasts in their own homes before Mansion House built; Audit and Lighting-Up Dinners; famous Corporation dinners; royal entertainments in the City.

Development, Organisation and Administration of the Port of LondonT. Kingsley Collett CBE

29 August 1960

Port of London Authority since 1908; personnel, constitution and work of the PLA respecting Thames conservancy and operation of the closed docks; staff of the PLA, including the Dock Labour force; engineering works and development; Second World War damage and its aftermath; finances of the PLA; trade in the Port of London and table of tonnages handled since 1931, including some specific commodities.

The Growth of LondonP.E. Jones LL.B., FSA

7 November 1960

Growth of London, especially the initial expansion outside the City walls in Tudor times; area of the Bills of Mortality; 16th and 17th century maps and surveys; paving of roads; population and density; main causes of growth; efforts to limit growth and their lack of effect; effects of the growth of London; comparison with recent Royal Commission limiting the size of London, and the probability of yet further growth.

From a Street Corner in FarringdonDudley S. Game

30 January 1961

Imaginative account of what might have passed before a person standing at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey at various times from Roman times; Smithfield and St Bartholomew’s Hospital; jousts at Smithfield; Bartholomew Fair; the meat market; burning of heretics; Holborn Viaduct; Central Criminal Court; public executions outside Newgate Gaol until 1868; Elizabeth Fry; Newgate Market; Christ Church, Newgate; famous occupants of the area.

The City of London SchoolDavid L. Clackson MBE

29 May 1961

John Carpenter’s bequest 1442, and its enunciation in the will of John Don, 1477; Warren Stormes Hale and the establishment of the City of London School in Milk Street in 1837; School’s successes; scholarships and benefactions; move to Embankment in 1883; recent suggestions to rusticate the school; playing fields; current successes.

Charles Dickens 1812-1870Major Stanley W. Wells MBE

31 July 1961

Brief biography of Charles Dickens based on John Forster’s biography.

of 41



The Crypt of GuildhallP.E. Jones LL.B., FSA

30 October 1961

Building and alterations to the Great Hall of Guildhall since 1411; precursors of the 1411 Guildhall; suggests that the then ruined western crypt was under the pre-1411 Guildhall, and that the 1411 Guildhall was an extension, not a new-build, of the former Guildhall eastwards, with evidence and plan; collapse of west crypt in Fire of London 1666; evidence that the western crypt was built before the eastern and the Great Hall; plea from the author not to damage the western crypt further when the new Guildhall buildings facing Aldermanbury are being built, and to look out for the foundations mentioned by Stow when work was under way.

[Note at end of article that the Court of Common Council agreed to restore the west crypt on 19 June 1969.]

The Chamber of LondonSir Irving Gane KCVO

29 January 1962

Examples of the work of Chamberlains of London since the 14th century; the common round of a mid-20th century Chamberlain’s work; ceremonial and outside engagements; change in office hours; Chamberlain as banker and treasurer and his direct access to the Bank of England; Chamberlain’s Court, City Freedom and Livery Company matters; plate indenture; historic problems of Chamberlain’s such as military expenditure in the 17th century; the Great Fire of London 1666 and the coal duty; précis of the position of the Chamberlain.

William Shakespeare – Citizen and PlayerRoland Champness MA, LL.M., FSA

30 April 1962

Shakespeare in London from about 1592; conjecture about the “lost years” 1584-1592; London’s theatrical context; Shakespeare living in St Helen’s Bishopsgate c. 1596-1599; moving of Burbage’s theatre from Shoreditch to Bankside as The Globe; growing success; living with the Mountjoys in St Olave’s Cripplegate; his purchase of the gatehouse of the old Blackfriars priory (conveyance held by Guildhall Library); his will, death and burial at Stratford; the publication of his plays and his reputation.

The Coal MarketAlderman J. Lionel P. Denny MC

23 November 1962

Current feelings on the recent demolition of the Coal Exchange; various locations of coal marketing; wealth and nature of coal trade; Corporation’s purchase of the Coal Exchange under Act of Parliament of 1803, and free market thereafter; building of Bunning’s new Coal Exchange in 1848; war damage to the building; subsequent make-do-and-mend; changes in the coal trade overtaking the need for a central coal exchange; proposals to demolish the building for road improvements and detailed account of the fight to prevent it or re-locate the building; possibility of future criticism of the Corporation for destroying a Bunning masterpiece and comparison with Temple Bar, which has “raised its head again and again”.

London: A City of Strangers (The Provincial Element in Business)Deputy Cuthbert Skilbeck

31 December 1962

Relatively short span of medieval merchant families in London compared to the Continental cities, and causative factors; substantial immigration from the provinces to London a vital necessity and how it happened; the enormous numbers of successful immigrants and examples; trades linked to places; county societies in London; Yorkshire families continuing links in London, including the Skilbecks.

of 41



The History of Guildhall MuseumJohn G. Gapp DL

29 April 1963

Foundation of Museum in 1826 and its subsequent development; wartime evacuation of exhibits; post-war increase in collections due to redevelopment and archaeology, but Museum space colonised by Guildhall Library bookstacks to maintain library service; temporary measures; 1912 Cheapside jewellery hoard and Treasure Trove laws in the City; excavations at the Temple of Mithras, Bucklersbury; Bucklersbury mosaic pavement; Livery Company collections; touring exhibitions; details of the then impending merger between the Guildhall Museum and the London Museum to form the Museum of London.

AleconnersAlderman Sir Denis H. Truscott GBE, TD

29 July 1963

Election at Common Hall at Midsummer each year of 4 aleconners; office a sinecure since at least 1755 and no duties; medieval assize of ale and origin of aleconners; growth of beer-making from the 14th century; attempts to regulate the trade through City Companies; John Stow a 16th century aleconner; Surveyors of Ale and Beer united in 16th century; diminishing income of aleconners from late 18th century; aleconners in manors elsewhere; constitutional oddities illustrated by the history of the aleconners.

1963 One Hundred Years of the Circle Line (or The City Solicitor’s Dream Come True)Deputy H.W. Keith Calder CBE

2 October 1963

Opening of the first underground railway in the world in 1863 between Paddington and Farringdon Street, conceived by Charles Pearson, Common Councilman, MP and City Solicitor 1839-1862; brief biography of Pearson and his achievements; unfulfilled dream of City rail terminus in the Fleet valley for all trains into London; Pearson’s work towards the Circle line instead, to link all the London termini and relieve traffic congestion above ground; similarity of London then and now; current digging of the new Victoria Line tunnels.

City WaitsAlan Lamboll

30 December 1963

Great popularity of music in medieval London; origin of waits in the 13th century as watchmen or guards; role in Midsummer Marching Watch; transition into musicians in the 15th century; pay, duties and silver chains, 14th -1 17th centuries; instruments and personnel; sale of offices in the 18th century; waits allowed to run down; last wait died in 1845.

Notes on the History of the Corporation of Trinity House, LondonSir Gilbert Davis, Bt.

6 April 1964

Origins lost in time; Trinity Houses elsewhere in the UK and their purpose; connections with the City from 16th century; royal charters and development of London Trinity House from 16th century; Elder and Younger Brethren and compulsory pilotage of shipping in London approach waters from 1604 Charter; lighthouse jurisdiction; Commonwealth dissolution and Restoration reconstitution; Samuel Pepys’s links with Trinity House and his foundation of the Mathematical School at Christ’s Hospital in 1673; role in the 1797 Nore Mutiny and 1803 threatened French invasion; lighthouse monopoly since 1836; current work and role of Trinity House.

of 41



The Wooden Giants of Fleet StreetLt-Col W.W. Dove CBE, TD, DL

29 June 1964

Two giants which strike the clock bells at the church of St Dunstan in the West; brief history of the church and environment; Thomas Harrys’s new clock on the church in 1671, the first to have minute as well as hour hands, and its fame throughout London; the clock in literature; church rebuilt in 1830 when Fleet Street widened, and clock sold to 3rd Marquis of Hereford for his new house, St Dunstan’s, in what became Regent’s Park; clock removed, repaired and restored to church by Lord Rothermere in 1935, the author’s firm removing and re-erecting it; details of the condition of the clock and necessary repairs; the giants’ favourable comparison with the Guildhall’s new Gog and Magog; album of photographs of the restoration given to Guildhall Library.

Without the WallsGeorge M. Vine

31 August 1964

Why the City’s jurisdiction did not expand to the whole Metropolis, in the light of the impending creation of the Greater London Council; forces historically diminishing the power of the Corporation; Royal Commission on Municipal Corporations, 1837; 17th century expansion westwards, especially after Fire of London in 1666; speculative builders; waves of new building and factors affecting expansion; factors against the Corporation’s expansion of jurisdiction; 19th century Royal Commissions, their recommendations and the Corporation’s responses; new municipal reforms of 1965.

Transatlantic ThreadsAlderman Gilbert S. Inglefield TD, MA

30 November 1964

Links between London citizens and America from the 16th century; the foundation of the Virginia Colony at Jamestown in 1607; Virginia Company and the Common Council’s sending of poor and vagrant children to Virginia in 1618-1619; 18th century transportation and indentured servants sent from London to America; London tea-merchant’s link with the Boston Tea-Party; City’s support for the American rebels in 1775.

The Guildhall Art GalleryDeputy Cuthbert Skilbeck

29 March 1965

Growth of Guildhall Art Galleries collections from the 22 Fire Judges’ portraits commissioned by the Corporation from Joseph Michael Wright c. 1672 and their subsequent history; commissions and benefactions to the Permanent Collection; foundation of the Guildhall Art Gallery in 1885 under Sir Alfred Temple; enormous success of his loan exhibitions in 1890 and 1892; further acquisitions; Second World War destruction of the Art Gallery; post-war make-do-and-mend and temporary exhibitions; brief résumé of the best items in the Permanent Collection; loans of pictures; plan for an art gallery in the proposed Barbican Centre.

The City MarshalDeputy Cyril F. Lewis CBE

31 May 1965

3rd Ceremonial Officer of the Lord Mayor’s Household; City Marshal first appointed in 1589 to apprehend vagabonds; wider duties of two City Marshals relating to law and order from the early 17th century; marshalmen and 18th century disputes as to their appointment; election in Court of Common Council, admission in Court of Aldermen from 1778 and duties since then, both in law enforcement and ceremonial duties; unification of office into one person from 1862; current duties; list of office-holders since 1589.

of 41



The Drinking Habits at Greek and Roman BanquetsA.J.B. Rutherford CBE

30 November 1965

Development of the culinary arts in ancient Greece; dining habits and furniture; design of drinking cups; etiquette; oblations and dedications of successive cups of wine to the gods; wreaths and perfumes associated with wine-drinking; toasts; president of the feast; richer wines with desserts; Pliny the Younger’s description of a cheap-skate’s dinner; continuation of many ancient usages today.

New Light on the Great FireP.E. Jones OBE, LL.B., FSA

31 January 1966

Grand plans for the aftermath of the fire not practical for the City merchant; private rebuilding after the Fire; Mills, Hooke and Oliver appointed surveyors under the Rebuilding Act 1667; brief biographies of the three; their work; Mills’ and Oliver’s surveys now in Guildhall Library; private sector rebuilding substantially complete by 1671; difference in speed of rebuilding between 1666 and 1946; lack of insurance in 1666; the Fire Court and its Decrees; use of these in proving Corporation title to parcels of land currently.

Royal Occasions: How the City Greeted Monarchs in the 15th and 17th CenturiesNorman L. Hall MBE, LL.B.

31 October 1966

Concentrates on royal entries of Henry V after Agincourt in 1415 and Charles II’s birthday entrance on the Restoration in 1660; a sketch of the City in 1415; celebrations of the victory at Agincourt from the moment it was announced; Henry V’s journey from Dover; very detailed account of City of London’s 1415 pageant; differences in the City by 1660, despite similarity of route; Restoration procession and celebrations in 1670.

College HillRalph W. Peacock MA

29 December 1966

Curious numbering of premises in College Hill; historically one of the more important streets, linking the southern pair of the four main east/west routes through the City (Thames Street and Watling Street); rich area in the Middle Ages, occupied by Whittington; description of the area; foundation of Whittington College, St Michael Paternoster Royal, 1424-1548; developments and successive houses on the site of Whittington’s house; Turners’ Hall and Almshouses; Mercers’ School House; Tower Royal.

of 41



The Ceremony of the Quit Rent Services

(Royal Courts of Justice, Court X (Judges’ Quadrangle): Thursday October 21st 1965 Address by the Queen’s Remembrancer, Master [Claude] Grundy)Lt-Col and Alderman Sir Ian Bowater DSO, TD

30 January 1967

Quit rent ceremony the oldest in England after the Coronation; Corporation payment of the quit rent to the Crown for a piece of waste ground called the Moors in Shropshire and a tenement called the Forge in the parish St Clement Danes for past 750 years, paid in early times by sub-tenants; historic ceremonial of Lord Mayor and retinue going to Court of Exchequer in Westminster by boat to pay the quit rent; from 1859, rendered to Queen’s Remembrancer, by Comptroller and City Solicitor, not in the presence of the Lord Mayor again until 1965; brief history of the Queen’s Remembrancer; details of the land relating to the quit rent, firstly in the parish of Erdington, two miles north of Bridgenorth, Shropshire, and the historic payments of the quit rent of one weak/blunt and one sharp knife (later a billhook and hatchet) for it, secondly Walter le Brun’s forge in the Strand (near Australia House site) from 1235, at rent of 6 horseshoes and nails per annum, the same 6 horseshoes and 61 nails having been used by the Corporation to pay the rent for 560 years;

New Court – St Swithin’s LaneDeputy T.E. Chester Barratt CBE, MA, LL.B.

31 July 1967

History of one piece of Corporation property (currently HQ of Rothschild’s merchant bank, New Court, St Swithin’s Lane, there since 1809) which has been in its hands for six centuries; details of ownership of the property 1346-1359, when the Corporation acquired it; details of tenants since 1359; plan of property in 1772; possibility of such site pedigrees to be compiled from the records of the City Lands and Bridge House preserved at Guildhall.

The Office of City RemembrancerP.E. Jones OBE, LL.B., FSA

30 October 1967

Imminent retirement of the present Remembrancer, Sir Paul Davie; brief biography of Thomas Norton, first Remembrancer, appointed in 1571; initial duties of the office; Elizabeth I’s patronage of the second Remembrancer, Dr. Giles Fletcher; the Remembrancia; attempts by the Court of Aldermen to abolish the post in the mid-17th century; sale of office in 18th century; 20th century Remembrancers, including a thumb-nail sketch of the then Remembrancer, Sir Paul Davie; list of office-holders.

Reconstruction of the Guildhall, in Particular the Roof 1953-54Alderman the Rt. Hon. Lord Mais OBE, ERD, TD, DL

29 January 1968

Guildhall roofs 1411-1666, 1668-1864, 1864-1940, 1941-1953 and Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s new roof, built 1953-1954; irregularity of existing columns; necessity and engineering details of strengthening foundations of columns before new roof could be built; all work done between Lord Mayor’s Days; account of the roof-building; keenness of workmen to work on Guildhall, even without productivity bonuses.

of 41



The Changing CityPeter A. Revell-Smith

29 April 1968

The City as a market; changing its skin every 120 years: the increasing size of buildings and building phases; impact of railways; in 1945 one third of the City in ruins; to expedite redevelopment, Corporation in 1968 owned one tenth of the City; redevelopment units and new roads; major changes and future trends: offices replacing warehouses, increasing specialisation in financial sector; increase of containerisation instead of barge traffic, improvements in electronic communications; some predictions for the future.

The Baltic Mercantile and Shipping ExchangeAlderman Charles Trinder MA

29 July 1968

Baltic’s uniqueness as an international shipping exchange; dealing by word of mouth; location and building; business undertaken in the Baltic Exchange, comprising shipping, dealing in grain, oilseeds and oils and aircraft chartering; importance of the Baltic Exchange and the experience of those working on it.

The Whitbread Story – The History of the Chiswell Street BreweryDeputy Cuthbert Skilbeck

31 December 1968

Background and biography of Samuel Whitbread and his setting up of his brewery in 1742; brewing in the Chiswell Street area; Whitbread’s use of the latest in engineering innovations; royal visit by George III and Queen Charlotte; Samuel Whitbread II and his partnership with Martineau and Bland of Lambeth; subsequent family members in the business; links with mayoralty coach and horses.

A Friend of LibertyAlderman Sir Edward Howard Bt.

31 March 1969

Brief biography of John Wilkes and his civic and political career; The North Briton and Wilkes’ arrest for seditious libel; his repeated clashes with government and his popularity; 1769 his most important year; Wilkes as a Liveryman, Alderman, Sheriff, Lord Mayor and Chamberlain; mellowing with age; summary of his character and accomplishments; the then current exhibition on him at the British Museum.

The Courts Leet in SouthwarkRalph W. Peacock MA

30 June 1969

Vestiges of the Corporation’s jurisdiction in Southwark; keeping of the Peace in Southwark from 14th century; brief history of the City’s jurisdiction in Southwark, especially the 1550 charter and the passing of the manors to the City; very detailed account of the procedure of Courts Leet; incipient publication of [David Johnson’s] book [Southwark and the City].

BillingsgateSamuel Sheppard OBE

5 November 1969

Earliest origins of Billingsgate Market as a general market in the roomland adjacent to the wharf; Queenhithe v. Billingsgate in the early medieval period; constant river and land traffic congestion; ferry from Billingsgate to Gravesend; bum-boats; author’s personal recollections of Billingsgate Market since 1918.

of 41



The Office of Deputy Keeper of the RecordsP.E. Jones OBE, LL.B., FSA [Deputy Keeper of the Records]

17 March 1970

Town Clerk as Keeper of the Records; background to the establishment of the office of what became the Deputy Keeper of the Records in 1860-1875; RR Sharpe and AH Thomas, the first 2 office-holders; personal recollections of the author; the expansion of his office beyond the Town Clerk’s Department; the work of the archivist; the Corporation as an archive authority; Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section and the Corporation of London Records Office; author’s opinions on the possible future amalgamation of the two.

Fraud in Companies and FirmsAlderman Kenneth Cork

29 June 1970

Author’s experience in the field of bankruptcy; types of fraud and examples of real cases, current and historic.

The Day the Bus Jumped the BridgeDeputy T.E. Chester Barratt MA, LL.B.

30 November 1970

Development of the larger legend; London bus becomes stuck across the opening bascules of Tower Bridge on 31 December 1952; press coverage; aftermath; causes of the incident.

The Charity that Never Asks for MoneyColonel Sir Cullum Welch, Bt., OBE, MC

30 March 1971

Morden College, Blackheath, its building and establishment by John Morden, a City Goldsmith, in 1695; brief biography of John Morden; Court of Aldermen as Trustees from 1884 and reasons for the change; maintenance of beneficiaries in College and as out-pensioners.

The Southwark ComptorWallis G.G. Hunt

7 July 1971

City’s historic links with Southwark; prisons in Southwark; the City’s Compter in Southwark and its history since 1550; conditions in the Compter; rules and regulations; offences and inmates; establishment of the Metropolitan Police in 1840 and subsequent cessation of the Aldermen sitting as Justices in Southwark; end of the Compter in 1852 and its demolition in 1855.

of 41



Sounds that Hurt NotAlderman Sir Gilbert Inglefield GBE, TD, MA, D.Sc.

24 November 1971

Public musical concerts in the City from their beginnings in 17th century City inns; private concerts and patrons; Restoration recital halls; 18th century popularity of opera and establishment of concert halls; standards of singing and playing; ideal design of a concert hall; current development of Barbican Arts Centre.

The Gates of the City A Method of DefenceAlderman Hugh Wontner CVO

31 January 1972

City walls and their history, in London and elsewhere; gates and posterns in London’s City wall; defence measures in the Middle Ages; the gates in use for defence and celebrations, residences and prisons; Liberties without the walls; Temple Bar; the sale of gates in the 18th century.

The City of London School – Some Early BenefactionsDeputy A.G. Coulson MA, LL.B.

31 July 1972

Sir Polydore de Keyser’s gift of fruit on the move of the School to Victoria Embankment in 1883; John Carpenter and his bequests; brief history of the School’s establishment; Alderman David Salomon’s fight to be admitted as an Alderman and his bequest; Baron Lionel de Rothschild’s scholarship; Henry Beaufoy’s benefactions; The Times scholarship and how it came about in detail in 1840.

Mayoral HeraldryA. Colin Cole BCL, MA

30 October 1972

Earliest grant of arms by a King of Arms to the Drapers’ Company in 1439; symbolism of arms and their appropriateness to the grantee; canting arms; changes to London Citizens’ arms as they advanced in their civic careers; concentration on the period 1790-1850; examples of arms and inclusion of Crystal Sceptre and Mayoral insignia in them; recent Lord Mayors’ arms.

Some Bridge House Estates in DeptfordDeputy Dudley S Game

29 January 1973

Deptford in history; its development from the time of Henry VIII; establishment of Trinity House and Naval Dockyard there; Peter the Great of Russia’s visit to Deptford and the dockyards; establishment of the Royal Victualling Yard in 1742; John Evelyn and his introduction of Grinling Gibbons to Sir Christopher Wren; Pepys’ mentions of Deptford; brief account of the origin of the Bridge House Estates; Bridge House Estates in Lewisham, Ladywell and Brockley; John Clifford’s bequest of “le Christopher on le Hoop” (later the Dover Castle) an inn in Deptford; the Swan; the Royal Oak (later the Centurion); land near the Earl’s Sluice on the Rotherhithe side of Deptford; sale of most of the Bridge House lands in Deptford to various dock and navigation companies in the 19th century.

Royal Hospitals in the City of LondonSir Lionel Denny GBE, MC, D.Sc.

19 July 1973

Thomas Vicary and the union of the Barbers’ and the Surgeons’ Companies in 1540; pre-Reformation religious houses for the care of the sick; establishment of St Bartholomew’s, Bethlem, Christ’s and St Thomas’s Hospitals and Bridewell, and their histories since the mid-16th century; expenditure and governance of them by the Corporation; King Edward’s School, Witley; 1946 National Health Service Act; the current situation.

of 41



The Lord Mayor’s BanquetAlderman Sir Hugh Wontner CVO

29 October 1973

History of the ceremonial and celebration accompanying the admission of each new Lord Mayor of London; Lord Mayors’ banquets attended by the Sovereign; security; food and drink; entertainments; toasts; invitation cards and menus.

The Ward of Bread StreetAlderman H. Murray Fox MA

29 April 1974

Common background of all Wards in the City; brief history of Bread Street Ward and its boundaries; Assize of Bread and bread trade in the ward; Goldsmith’s Row, Cheapside; inns during the 16th and early 17th centuries; Livery Company halls in the ward; Admiral Phillip, 1st Governor of New South Wales, Australia and his links with the ward; effects of the industrial revolution after 1750 and the textile trade in the Ward up to 1940; subsequent dominance of financial institutions; railways and electoral reform; detailed account of the Bread Street Wardmote of 1836.

The City’s Cash Account of 1632-33J.M. Keith TD [Chief Commoner]

30 July 1974

Corporation’s finances as Bridge House, City’s Cash and Rates Funds; earliest surviving City’s Cash account for 1632-33; 17th century accounting procedures; the Orphans’ Fund; debts due to the City; income, mostly from property; disbursements; other headings within the account; serious financial difficulties of the Chamber at the time.

The Place of Pewter in HistoryDeputy Ralph W. Peacock CBE, MA

18 September 1974

Definitions of pewter and differences between different kinds; prehistoric and Roman use of metals; uses of pewter from the Middle Ages; Pewterers’ Company from the 14th century and its powers; causes of the disappearance of old pewter; decrease of pewter from 18th century; modern commemorative pewter,

Whittington’s LonghouseAlderman Alan Lamboll JP

29 April 1975

Longhouse (public toilet) and almshouses over it in Vintry Ward, one of the lesser-known of Richard Whittington’s benefactions; structure of the longhouse and tenants of almshouses until early 17th century, when the almshouses were probably converted into warehousing; destruction in the 1666 Fire of London and John Oliver’s sketch of the longhouse; reduction in size after the Fire; Ward complaints to the Corporation for not maintaining the terms of Whittington’s bequest in late 17th century; Viewers’ report describing it in 1690; lessees of the site and the gradual disappearance of the public convenience; post-World War II redevelopment and the disappearance of the site, which was on the doorstep of the new Public Cleansing Depot; sketch plan of the longhouse, 1671.

[This article, by PE Jones, was first published in the London Topographical Record vol. XXIII, pp. 27-34 and the GHA acknowledges the London Topographical Society’s permission to reproduce it.]

of 41



The Court of HustingNorman L. Hall MBE, LL.B.

29 July 1975

Court of Husting Meeting on 5 November 1974; history of the Court from the 10th century; business of the Court in medieval times and its gradual decrease in use due to changes in law over the centuries; advantages of registration of deeds in Court of Husting; land registration; enrolment of wills in the Court of Husting; fire in Royal Exchange in 1838 and destruction of enrolments 1717-1838.

The Civic and Financial CityAlderman Sir Robert Bellinger GBE D.Sc.

30 September 1975

Changes to the City over the past century; striking decline in resident population and its causes; development of financial services with the Industrial Revolution and development of the British Empire; changes in local government; the City as an independent financial centre; the 20th century and the effects of two world wars; the author’s opinions about convergence of civic and financial aspects of the City if the City is to survive and prosper in the then current political context.

Dr Reginald R. Sharpe DCL and the Establishment of the Corporation of London Records OfficeBetty R. Masters BA, FSA

29 June 1976

History of record-keeping within the Corporation from the 13th century; work of William Turner Alchin in the 1840s; appointment of RR Sharpe as the first archivist 1876-1914 and the background to the appointment; the ordeal of the interviewing process; duties and office-holders since 1876; brief biography of Sharpe and his character; conditions for researchers and staff and Sharpe’s complaints; his prodigious output and the debt owed to him by his successors.

[Adapted from a longer article, “Local Archivist 1876-1914: Dr Reginald R Sharpe”, Journal of the Society of Archivists, vol. 5, pp. 275-282.]

Jubilee Celebrations 1809-1935Betty R. Masters BA, FSA

29 March 1977

Religious origins of the word “jubilee”; first use in a UK royal context in 1809 for 50th anniversary of the accession of George III; unpopularity of this jubilee in some quarters; details of Queen Victoria’s 1887 and 1897 jubilees; George V’s 25 year jubilee in 1935; forthcoming 25 year jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977.

The Royal Contract EstatesJames Mansfield Keith TD

28 June 1977

Importance of land and property to the Corporation; pre-eminence of its City Lands Committee; the Chamber of London as Royal banker; royal debt to the City at £350,000 by 1627/28; Royal Contract and the transfer of royal land to the Corporation to sell in lieu of the debt; extent of Royal Contract Estates throughout the country; new Committee to administer them; descriptions of estates in Leeds and Northumbria; Civil War affected scale of sales; final sales not made until beginning of 18th century; remaining estate (Conduit Mead, around New Bond Street).

of 41



The Commission of Lieutenancy 1617-1977Deputy Sir Thomas Kingsley Collett CBE

29 November 1977

History of the Commission itself, not the trained bands or militia from the first recorded commission in 1617; laying of foundations of modern Commission by 1662 Act; association of Aldermen with Commission; intervals between issuing of Commissions, and numbers of people on it from 17th century to date; decrease in numbers requested by Edward VII; reforms in 1950s and 1960s, especially in 1967.

The Lost Library of the Barber Surgeons’ Company of London and Dr Richard MeadRichard Theodore Beck FSA, FRIBA

31 January 1978

Sale of the library to John Whiston in 1751 for £18 following the splitting of the Barbers from the Surgeons in 1745; detailed history of the library and its buildings 1440-1751; Whiston probably an agent for Dr Richard Mead (1673-1754); biography of Mead and sale of his library after his death.

The City and the TemplesJames Mansfield Keith CBE, TD

30 May 1978

Brief history of the Templars and the Temple; boundary disputes with the City of London; Temple’s transfer to the Hospitallers in 1324 and the start of its occupation by lawyers of the Inner and Middle Temple until their dissolution on 1540; Temple charter 1608; jurisdictional and voting disputes with the City; summary of modern responsibilities of Temple and City.

The Common Hunt and the DoghouseDeputy Matthew Henry Oram TD, MA

31 October 1978

Common Hunt the 3rd of the Lord Mayor’s Esquires until post abolished in 1807; duties; City’s rights of hunting in Essex; keeping and types of breed of the City’s hounds since 14th century; locations of the Doghouse; Common Hunts additional duties as dog-catcher and –killer, especially in times of plague; account of a 1562 hunt; venison warrants; disappearance of City’s hounds by mid-18th century; list of office-holders.

The Lord Mayor’s “View of the Thames”Alderman Sir Hugh Walter Kingwell Wontner GBE, CVO, D.Litt.

31 January 1979

4 existing boundary stones marking the limits of the City’s jurisdiction over the Thames Conservancy until 1857 at Staines, Leigh, Yantlett and Upnor; maintenance of the stones through the centuries; Lord Mayor’s periodic visits (“views”) to the stones in great ceremony to maintain the jurisdiction; brief history of the Thames Conservancy and duties of Waterbailiff; Conservancy Courts; narrative descriptions of late 18th/early 19th century views, especially that of 1796.

of 41



Richard WhittingtonAlan Seymour Lamboll

29 May 1979

The popular story of Dick Whittington; recent research on him and the development of the legend; biography of Whittington, his business, municipal career and loans to the Crown; his property and liquid assets; his charitable benefactions, will and executors.

The Development of the Post of City Architect and Planning Officer 1478-1965Deputy Richard Theodore Beck FSA, FRIBA

31 October 1979

First appointment of the Master of the City’s Works and his duties 15th – 17th centuries; the challenge of rebuilding after the 1666 Fire of London; George Dance the Elder and Younger over 80 years in the post; William Mountague and his work 1816-1843; JB Bunning and his work 1843-1863; Horace Jones and his work from1863; his successors to 1965.

The Early History of the City’s PlateNorman Harry Harding

29 January 1980

Sir Crisp Gascoyne the first Lord Mayor to live at Mansion House in 1752; plate stored there since; annual plate indenture; growth of Corporation’s plate 16th – early 18th century; bequests since 18th century; details of the Lord Mayor’s Collar of SS and jewel; former habit of refashioning plate; famous pieces.

The History of Tower BridgeDavid Lawrence Clackson MBE, AE

29 April 1980

Problems of limited Thames Crossings before the mid 19th century; tolls; proposals for new crossing east of London Bridge in later 19th century; construction of Tower Bridge 1886-1894 and its formal opening; the machinery; changes in river traffic; closure of high-level walkway in 1909; current possibility of new crossing still further east.

Music in the CityDeputy Wilfrid Dewhirst

30 September 1980

City Waits; events leading to the foundation of what became the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1880; premises of the School; students and fees; Gresham Lectures; Corporation patronage for non-Corporation events.

of 41



Life in the City in 1900Alderman Ronald Arthur Ralph Hedderwick

31 March 1981

Contrasts between then and 1981; types of buildings; street cleansing; office practice and equipment; telephones, trains and tube; holidays and excursions; cost of living; City Imperial Volunteers 1900; major civic buildings; clubs; Lloyd’s; the author’s opinions on the camaraderie of business in the City in the past and the slipping standards of the present time.

The Wedding of the Prince of Wales: Celebrations in the City in 1863Betty R Masters BA, FSA

30 June 1981

The marriage of Edward, Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863; Corporation’s celebrations of the event and its historical precedents since the 14th century; speed of arrangements; details of the City’s reception to the royal couple 7 March 1863; its gift to the bride; commemorative medal; extension of buildings in Guildhall Yard for the ball of 8 June 1863; specially-made china for the event auctioned off afterwards.

The Royal Marines and the CityDeputy John Trevor Yates MBE

29 September 1981

Origin of the Corps in 1664; uniform; late 17th century Anglo-Dutch wars; drumming up recruits; City privileged regiments; nicknames; capture of Gibraltar 1704; Royal Marines’ badge; Langham’s Charity for Soldiers and Sailors; Royal Marine (City of London) Reserve; post-World War II links with the City.

The Post-War Planning of Public Houses with Particular Reference to the City of LondonBernard Joseph Brown CBE, JP

30 March 1982

Government attempts to control alcohol sales for 400 years; licences since 1552; changing numbers of public houses in the City; the Morris Committee and reforms of 1944; Licensing Planning Committee, its duties and responsibilities; work of its City Sub-Committee since 1949; ratios of licensed premises to population; drinking habits; the current situation.

John Carpenter. A Famous Town Clerk 1417-1438Deputy Alexander George Coulson MA, LL.B.

29 June 1982

John Carpenter, his life, times and the City context in which he lived; his compilation of Liber Albus; his executorship of the will of Richard Whittington; rebuilding of Newgate Prison and Guildhall Library; Carpenter’s Children and the background to the establishment of the City of London School.

of 41



Roman London and British IndiaDeputy Ralph Warren Peacock CBE, MA

30 November 1982

The author’s view of the similarities between Roman London and British India; colonisation by armies of larger empires; revolts; overthrow.

82/86 Fenchurch Street – The Story of a GiftRichard Saunders

29 March 1983

Mountjoy’s Inn since the 12th century and its ownership by New College, Oxford, since 1391; tenants and occupiers since then, lack of damage to property in 1666; 19th century redevelopment; new building in 1980.

St Paul’s Bridge: The Project of a River Bridge Near St Paul’s Cathedral and the Effects it HadColin Frederick Walter Dyer ERD

31 May 1983

Thames crossings; proposals for a St Paul’s Bridge since 1852; Tower Bridge 1894; early 20th century ideas and objections; 1911 Act and architectural competition for the proposed St Paul’s Bridge; relationship with Southwark Bridge; First World War and stoppage of work; new Act 1921; post-War costs and consultations; St Paul’s Cathedral safety concerns; post-1929 financial crisis; death of scheme; rehousing of Southwark residents affected by the proposals and the Bridge House Estates working class housing south of the Thames.

Swan Marking and Swan UppingCuthbert Skilbeck

29 November 1983

Natural history of the mute swan in England; royal ownership of the bird and grants of swans from the Crown; 16th and 17th century swan marks; price and prestige of swans; Dyers’ and Vintners’ Companies’ Royalty of a Game of Swans on the Thames; swan upping on the Thames every July by representatives of the Queen, the Dyers’ and the Vintners’ Companies; conservation and the numbers of swans.

Smithfield Before the London Central MarketsBetty R Masters OBE, BA, FSA

29 May 1984

Fitz Stephen’s Description of London, 1175, including Smoothfield and its horsefair; area covered; cattle market from 15th century; Smithfield as a place of execution; Bartholomew Fair; numbers of animals sold and the nuisance caused; proposals for an Islington Market Bill 1834-1835 and the Corporation’s establishment of a Markets Committee; 19th century improvements and proposals; Metropolitan Cattle Market opened at Copenhagen Fields, Islington in 1855 and operated by Corporation of London until 1963.

of 41



The Gordon RiotsAlderman William Allan Davis

31 July 1984

Meeting in St George’s Fields on 2 June 1780 and procession through City to present Lord George Gordon’s petition to Parliament; mobs on 3 June; next days of riots and destruction of Newgate and other prisons; end of riots by 10 June; reasons for riots beginning in Cripplegate; Roman Catholic chapels and Irish residents there; Corporation’s measures against the violence; successive Roman Catholic churches in the City since 1780.

The First Mayor of LondonHarold Hobbs

30 October 1984

Biography of Henry Fitz-Ailwyn and his antecedents; site of his house through the centuries; his business and membership of the Drapers’ Company; his heirs and descendants; problems of dating the first mayoralty.

St Mary-Le-Bow Silver Plate 1550-1640Reginald Thomas Dorrien Wilmot

30 April 1985

Recent sale of 2 flagons from collection; St Mary Le Bow’s one of the finest collections of church plate possessed by a church anywhere in the world; origin of some of it in churches amalgamated with St Mary Le Bow; loss of church plate at Reformation; particular items and donors.

The City and the BuffsAlderman Sir Ronald Laurence Gardner-Thorpe GBE, TD, DCL, DH

30 July 1985

City’s unique rights respecting military recruitment and marching through the City; City Imperial Volunteers’ Freedom of the City in 1900; privileged regiments; Buff’s origins and the English regiments in Holland in 16th and 17th centuries; the Holland Regiment established in 1665 and its status as a privileged regiment from 1670; origin of the name “Buffs”; subsequent re-formations of the regiment; detailed antecedents of the Buffs and other privileged regiments.

The Sewers Serving the City of LondonSir John Reader Welch Bt. MA

29 October 1985

Increase in pollution as medieval London grew; Commissions of Sewers from 15th century and their responsibilities; lack of co-ordinated measures; development of the water closet and its effect on sewerage systems; Metropolitan Commission from 1848 and cholera; establishment of Metropolitan Board of Works in 1856; the Great Stink 1858 and Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s great work in building London’s new sewerage system 1856-1874; alterations to Bazalgette’s system since then.

Fishing on the ThamesJames R Sewell MA, FSA

29 April 1986

City’s Thames Conservancy jurisdiction from 12th century; fish and fishing in the Thames from the Middle Ages; ordinances to regulate the fishery; nets and engines; Waterbailiff and his duties; Courts of Conservancy and appearances at them; Company of Free Fishermen; fishing boats; sale of fish in the City and its markets.

of 41



The Abolition of the GLC and its Effects on the CityGeoffrey William Rowley FIPM [Town Clerk]

29 July 1986

Loosening of Parliamentary control over local government from 1972; creation of Metropolitan Boroughs in 1974 and their relative wealth; decay of city centres leading to higher spending; party political conflicts and Ken Livingstone’s control of the Greater London Council in 1981; abolition of the GLC in 1986; the London Residuary Body; former GLC responsibilities passed to the City, including planning, highways and traffic management, building control, licensing of public entertainments, waste disposal, Museum of London, Greater London Record Office; statutory and voluntary associations created after the abolition relating to education, fire, waste regulation, etc; Rates Equalisation Scheme.

The Origins of the City Lands CommitteeWallis Glynn Gunthorpe Hunt

30 September 1986

Origin of the City Lands from earliest times, especially since the 1444 charter of Henry VI; common soil; delegation of Common Council’s property management responsibilities to Surveyors in 16th century, then to the City Lands Committee in 1592; first City Lands grant book and business contained in it.

St Bartholomew’s HospitalAlderman John Chalstrey MA, MD

31 March 1987

Brief history its 12th century foundation, the story of Rahere, the medieval hospital, the Reformation and Second Foundation in the 16th century, the 18th century rebuilding, 20th century damage and rebuilding, NHS administration of the hospital and the retention of the annual View Day by the Lord Mayor.

Some London CourtsBernard B. Gillis QC

29 June 1987

Very brief histories and personal recollections of the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, the Mayor’s and City of London Court and the Guildhall and Mansion House Justice Rooms.

The Rich InheritanceNorman L. Hall CBE, LL.B.

30 November 1987

Brief history of Bartholomew Close, from its inclusion within the precincts of St Bartholomew’s Hospital, its purchase by Sir Richard (later Baron) Rich in the 16th century and its development from 1581 by his family for aristocratic and wealthy households (detailed) with some details of subsequent development, and a short account of Bartholomew Fair.

The City’s Textile IndustryJohn S. Henderson OBE

29 February 1988

The concentration of the “rag trade” in the Ward of Cripplegate especially from the late 18th century to the Second World War, and its subsequent decline, with details of the companies and trades involved.

of 41



Insurance in the City of LondonAnthony J. Hart DSC

30 October 1988

Brief history of insurance in the ancient world, medieval Europe and the City of London, especially after 1666, up to the early 19th century.

The City’s First Medical Officer of HealthGeorge H. Challis

31 January 1989

Biographical article on John (later Sir John) Simon (1816-1904), Medical Officer of Health to the Corporation of London 1848-1855, noting the importance of his work in the City for sanitary reform and his subsequent distinguished career.

The City’s Rivers – the Walbrook and the FleetAlderman Clive Martin OBE, TD

30 May 1989

Brief history of both rivers from Roman times to the present.

The City and the Wine Trade: An Early HistoryLawrence St.J.T. Jackson LL.B.

31 October 1989

The City of London’s and the Vintners’ Company’s involvement in the wine trade and the gradual decline of trade from the mid-13th to the late 15th century.

A Decade of Commercial Property DevelopmentMichael J. Cassidy BA, MBA

29 May 1990

The enormous expansion of commercial property development in the City 1979-1989, and the background of economic factors and planning policy in the City which assisted it.

of 41



The City Parochial Foundation – the First 100 YearsRosemary Humphrays

31 July 1990

The history, constitution and activities of the City Parochial Foundation since the City of London Parochial Charities Act 1883.

“800 Years and All That”Alderman Sir Christopher Collett GBE, MA, D.Sc.

28 October 1990

The organisation and activities involved in celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Mayoralty of the City of London , from the personal recollections of the author, including the various arguments concerning the exact date of the foundation of the Mayoralty and a brief note of celebrations for the 700th anniversary in 1889.

The Evolution of the Barbican CentreJohn S. Henderson OBE, Deputy

29 April 1991

The planning and development of the Barbican Centre from 1955, including alternative schemes and suggestions and overcoming the many difficulties which affected the project.

The History of Chartered Accountants in the CityAlderman Brian Jenkins MA

29 July 1991

As per title, prefaced by anecdotes ridiculing the profession, the change in attitude to chartered accountants and a brief history of the Institute of Chartered Accountants from the late 19th century, and current attacks on the profession and its possible future.

The Cripplegate Foundation 1891-1991 (100 Not Out!)Wallis G.G. Hunt

28 October 1991

History, from the granting of its Scheme in 1891 (Cripplegate was one of the 5 parishes excluded from the City of London Parochial Charities Act 1883), concentrating mainly on the buildings, but with some information about grant-making policy and grants made in recent years.

of 41



The Mansion House 1930-1993Norman H. Harding

30 March 1992

Details of the several phases of the major Mansion House refurbishment during the 1980s up to 1992, based on the personal recollections of the author, citing differences of opinions and rejected suggestions from various Lord Mayors and others, costs and difficulties affecting parts of the project, and various policy decisions.

Lord Mayors of London and the BaronetcyAlderman Sir Robin Gillett GBE, RD, D.Sc., RNR

29 June 1992

Brief background to James I’s foundation of the rank of Baronet and the pre-Restoration system of high entry fines for recipients; the growth of the custom of creating the Lord Mayor a Baronet, and the subsequent recognition of the office by the award of the GBE instead; instances of members of the same family serving the office of Lord Mayor; some colourful Baronets, including Lord Mayors (Vyner, Watson, Wood, Key).

The Bishopsgate InstituteAlderman Michael Oliver

30 November 1992

History, from the granting of its Scheme in 1891 (St Botolph’s Bishopsgate was one of the 5 parishes excluded from the City of London Parochial Charities Act 1883), giving information on the buildings, foundation by the Rev. William Rogers, Rector of St Botolph’s, current day-to-day work, the Library; current plans for extension.

Junius and the CityDr James Cope

29 March 1993

The Junius letters published in The Public Advertiser 1768-1772; their support for John Wilkes and Parliamentary reform; George III’s system of government; the City’s remonstrances to George III in 1770; the election of Alderman Nash to the Mayoralty in 1771; the impact of Junius’s letters on Wilkes’s cause and the development of the democratic movement; the identity of Junius (Sir Philip Francis?).

The City PoliceH. Wimburn S. Horlock MA, Deputy

29 November 1993

Policing in the City from Norman times; watch and ward; creation of first City Day Force after the Gordon Riots of 1784; Metropolitan Police Act 1829; City of London Police Act 1839; Commissioners; a few significant dates in City Police history; modern-day policing.

The Tithes of the Parish of St Sepulchre, HolbornWallis G.G. Hunt

31 January 1994

Brief history of tithes generally; tithes and payments in lieu in the City under Acts of Parliament of 1667 and 1804; extinguishing of such payments under Act of 1947 and the substitution of the tithe part of the General Rate; the complexities of tithe payments in St Sepulchre (divided between the City and Middlesex); tithe still collectable in the parish, uniquely amongst English parishes (with a few towns having house rates in lieu of tithes).

of 41



Fleet Street: the Place and the ConceptJoyce C. Nash, Deputy

31 May 1994

History of the physical Street; printing in Fleet Street since 1500 and the growth of the national press there; “Old Spanish Customs” and Rupert Murdoch’s move to “Fortress Wapping” and the decline of printing in Fleet Street itself.

Put Not Your Trust in Princes: the Relationship Between the City and the Tower 1066-1321A.P.W. MacLellan

31 October 1994

The City and the Norman Conquest; the building of the Tower of London; Constables of the Tower and their jurisdiction over the Jews in the City; brief summary of the City’s relationship with the Crown 1066-1321.

London’s Firefighters: Their Origins and DevelopmentC. Douglas Woodward CBE, Deputy

30 Jan uary1995

Fire-fighting in ancient Rome; in England from 872; in the City from 1066; equipment and ordinances; the Fire of London, the growth of insurance and a more organised fire-fighting system; amalgamation of insurance companies’ fire brigades in 1832 and appointment of James Braidwood to run it; fires at Houses of Parliament in 1834, Royal Exchange in 1838, Tower of London Armoury in 1841, Tooley Street Fire in 1861; foundation and development of Metropolitan Fire Brigade in 1865.

The History of the Common CouncilGeoffrey W. Rowley CBE, DCL, FIPM

22 May 1995

Evolution of Common Council from Folkmoot through Court of Husting; evolution of the great congregation into Common Hall; Common Council’s assumption of “legislative” functions during 14th century; changing balance of power between Common Council, Common Hall and Court of Aldermen during 18th century; anecdotes of a few famous Common Council events, including Charles I’s failure to apprehend the 5 Parliamentarians in 1642.

of 41



Sir Horace Jones 1819-1887: Architect and Surveyor to the Corporation of LondonStanley Keith Knowles

30 October 1995

Brief biography of Jones; family; training as an architect; travel and study in Europe; in business on own account 1843-1864; work for the RIBA; projects, including Cardiff Town Hall, Caversham Park near Reading, Surrey Music Hall in Walworth, many office buildings and department stores in London; as Architect and Surveyor to the Corporation of London 1864- including his work on City Markets, police stations, Guildhall, City of London Lunatic Asylum, Guildhall Library and Museum, Tower Bridge and Guildhall School of Music; knighthood. Appendix quoting A.G. Temple Guildhall Memories (1918), pp. 72-73 about Jones.

[Acknowledgements to Jennifer M Freeman’s thesis on Sir Horace Jones, RIBA Library, Keeper of Maps and Prints at Guildhall Library and CLRO]

Dictum Meum Pactum: The Stock Exchange 1929-1986R.D.K. Edwards JP, Deputy

29 April 1996

Local colour in Throgmorton Street in the 1950s-1960s and its silence since October 1986 (the Big Bang); 400 years of history of joint stock companies, including the Muscovy Company; funding and share issue; foundation of Stock Exchange in 1773; turmoil of 1st 3 decades of 20th century due to mining booms, WW1, General Strike, Wall Street Crash; work of brokers, jobbers and Blue Buttons; nicknames, humour and characters of the old Exchange; move to new Exchange and admission of women in 1973; post-WW2 company amalgamations and the rise of professionalism; the 1960s and 1970s; the move to offices after the abolition of exchange controls in 1979, introduction of computerised clearing system Talisman and other changes in working practices; the end of the exclusivity of the Stock Exchange in 1986.

The Influence of the Huguenots on the City of LondonAlderman Michael Savory

23 September 1996

Background of Huguenot migrations especially from France and the Low Countries to British Isles in mid-16th century and after revocation of Edict of Nantes in 1685; skills and numbers of Huguenots in London; their rapid integration within 2 generations; Spitalfields silk-weavers; Huguenot innovations, inventions and creativity; the Church; some GHA Huguenots.

Christ’s Hospital – Some Housey Tales Fights and FeudsRichard Saunders, Deputy

24 February 1997

Close historical links between the Corporation and Christ’s Hospital; the School’s independent spirit; its appropriation of the Spital Sermon and a tiff between School and Corporation over the Sermon in the mid-19th century; problems with money and administration 16th-18th centuries; Christ’s Hospital’s sealing of the Carmen’s cars 1582-1838; anecdotes about Christ’s Hospital.

of 41



Care of the Children: the Aldermen and the OrphansBetty R. Masters OBE, BA, FSA

23 June 1997

The Custom of London since the Middle Ages regarding the care of Freemen’s under-age orphans and inheritance of personal property of a City Freeman, with examples; the Aldermen’s strict control over the marriage of orphans, with examples; increase in volume of orphanage business and deposit of orphans’ inheritances in the Chamber of London at interest from the mid-16th century; development of the Court of Orphans under the Common Serjeant and orphans’ inventories; City’s financial problems due to its inability to meet the interest on its outstanding debt from 1681; establishment of the Orphans’ Fund by Act of Parliament of 1694.

The Remembrancer in Russia: the Fletcher Embassy to Moscow in 1588-89James R. Sewell MA, FSA

27 October 1997

Brief biography of Dr Giles Fletcher (c. 1548-1611, and uncle of the dramatist John Fletcher), who was appointed City Remembrancer at the request of Queen Elizabeth I in 1586; Fletcher and Saltonstall’s ambassadorial mission with the Hanse concerning custom duties on English imports in 1587; Fletcher’s appointment as ambassador to Russia in 1588 and the background to Anglo-Russian trade in the 16th century; Fletcher’s difficulties in Moscow; his return and the writing of his important and controversial book Of the Russe Common Wealth in 1591 (translations of which were still banned in Russia in 1848); the remainder of Fletcher’s career as Remembrancer.

A Private Sector Underground for London – Return of the Ghost of Charles YerkesDeputy M.J. Cassidy BA, MBA

23 February 1998

Commuting to work; the development of the underground railway in London; colourful life and background of Charles Tyson Yerkes, an American, formerly convicted and jailed for embezzlement in Philadelphia, ousted from Chicago for corruption of councillors concerning the trolley car franchise; Yerke’s acquisition of interests in the London Underground and his electrification of the system, building the power station at Lots Road; unprofitablility of the operation; Yerkes’s death and discovery of his debts; competition in the form of petrol-driven buses from 1906.

The 100th Livery Company: How it Came AboutAlderman Sir Brian Jenkins GBE

29 June 1998

The Information Technologists’ Company; 50 years of stored-programme computers; IT Year in 1982, the first meeting of Bernard Harty and Alan Benjamin, and their subsequent idea for an IT Livery Company in 1985; City Company status and the work of the new Company; Livery status in 1992 as the 100th Company; continuing work, including the promotion of IT in the City under the PORT initiative, apprenticeship scheme and use of panels for charitable work.

The Napoleonic Wars, 1803-1814: the Defences of S.E. EnglandGordon R.A. Wixley CBE, TD, DL

26 November 1998

As per title, with background to Napoleon’s invasion plans, and including information on the Chelmsford Army camp, entrenchments for the protection of London, plans for flooding Romney Marshes and the construction of the Royal Military Canal, the construction of Martello Towers

of 41



Sir John Cass and His FoundationGeoffrey C.H. Lawson

29 March 1999

Cass’s and his father’s with the Jacobite cause in the 1690s, his establishment of a charity school in Portsoken 1709-1711 to ingratiate himself with electors in his efforts 1701-1711 to become Alderman of Portsoken, his Tory-Anglican politics, unpopularity with the Court of Aldermen, election as an MP for London 1710-1715, the complications around proving his 1718 final will (proved 1748) and the establishment of the Sir John Cass Foundation in 1748, his statue in the Guildhall Art Gallery and the Lord Mayor’s role in the school’s annual Founder’s Day service each February.

The Royal ExchangeAnthony Moss MA

7 June 1999

The Antwerp Bourse in the early 16th century and its influence on Sir Richard Gresham and his son Sir Thomas, who built the Royal Exchange 1566-69; its naming by Queen Elizabeth I in 1571; its operation and trades using it (especially insurance); destruction in 1666 and 1838 and subsequent rebuilding; grand opening in 1842 and modern uses.

[Acknowledgements to London Topographical Society and Dr Ann Saunders]

The City of London Imperial Volunteers [C.I.V.]Deputy John Holland CBE, JP, DL

29 November 1999

Background of the 1st (1880-81) and 2nd (1899-1902) Boer Wars; the extremely rapid formation of the City Imperial Volunteers in the City of London Dec 1899-Jan 1900 under the active management of the Lord Mayor, Alfred Newton; the CIV’s action and return to England in October 1900; the end of the War and excerpts from Winston Churchill’s maiden speech in the House of Commons on the subject.

The City’s 1798 Response to the Silver Coin Shortage – the Dorrien-Magens ShillingR.T.D.Wilmot

31 January 2000

The shortage of silver coin during the 18th century, owing to the fact that silver coins were more valuable as bullion; only 3 issues of silver shillings between 1760 and 1800 (1763, 1787 and the Dorrien Magens shilling of 1798, the rarest and most valuable of all); failure of the Government’s 1797 silver coin issue; use of tokens and the Truck Shop system; Dorrien Magens’ and City merchants’ attempt to send £30,000 of silver bullion to be minted into shillings and the Government’s alteration of the law and destruction of almost all the shillings; the solution to the problem by the adoption of the gold standard and the issue of the gold sovereign in 1816.

The Reform of the Post Office in the Victorian Era and its Impact on Economic and Social ActivityDeputy Anthony Eskenzi, CBE

5 June 2000

Rowland Hill’s reforms to the Post Office and the Act of 1839; Hill’s subsequent problems in reforming the PO until his retirement in 1864.

of 41



The Office of Recorder of the City of LondonSir Lawrence Verney TD, DL, MA

30 October 2000

The varying role and duties of the Recorder from the origins of the office in the 13th century to date

St Paul’s SchoolAlderman Sir Alexander Graham GBE

26 February 2001

The history of the school from its foundation; association with the Mercers explored and explained; role of the school at the forefront of politics and religion, and, at the Reformation, its role in the revival of learning in England; endowment and financial issues. The talk also describes the contribution of each high master to the running of the school.

The funding of St Bartholomew’s Hospital, 1123-2001Sir John Chalstrey MD, DSC, FRCS

11 June 2001

An account of the financial basis on which St Bartholomew’s Hospital has been run over the centuries, from mediaeval royal grants to private finance initiatives in the twenty first century

Fleet StreetDeputy Christopher Mitchell Esq, OBE

29 October 2001

A summary history of Fleet Street, encompassing Fleet Marriages (1696-1753) and Sweeney Todd’s barber’s shop, but with a particular focus on the associations of the street with national newspapers. The impact of the introduction of the Koenig Steam Press in 1814, the power of the unions; the role of the Press Barons and the eventual move of the publication of newspapers away from Fleet Street are described in detail.

Local Government: the beginning or the end?Deputy Peter Rigby, CBE, JP

18 February 2002

An assessment of ‘British local government, its impact on the people it serves, its potential, its excesses and its failures.’ The talk investigates key changes in local government practice, including the introduction of party politics and various local government reorganisations including those of 1965 and 1986 in London. References to Tony Crossland’s famous phrase ‘The party is over’; the Redcliffe Maud and Widdecombe Enquiries; local authority budgets; Best Value.

of 41



The burning of the Jubilee Book 1376-1387Professor Caroline Barron

17 June 2002

Abridged from a seminar paper, this talk attempts to explain the extraordinary events which led to the burning of the Corporation’s Jubilee Book in 1387. The significance of the book is investigated, an author is tentatively proposed and the contents of the book are suggested. Did it survive in copy form?

Life at the Mansion House at the end of the twentieth centuryTommy Tucker

16 September 2002

A light hearted assessment of life at Mansion House, with sketches of all the Lord Mayors from Dame Mary Donaldson to Sir Clive Martin.

The role of the Chief Commoner in 2002Jonathan Charkham Esq., CBE, MA

23 June 2003

Charts the political context in which the Chief Commoner has to operate, together with descriptions of ceremonial and social events in 2002.

History of the City Heritage Society 1973-2003C. Douglas Woodward CBE

6 Oct 2003

Beginnings under the aegis of the Barbican Residents’ Association; changing views about conservation over 30 years; the growth of conservation areas; establishment as a registered charity and the inauguration of the City Heritage Award scheme in 1978; the battle between the Society and Peter Palumbo over the Mansion House Square/No. 1 Poultry site development schemes and the 3 public enquiries associated with them; other schemes opposed or backed by the Society; summary of the Society’s successes and failures over 30 years.

Robert Walpole and the City of London, 1721-1742Dr James Cope

29 March 2004

An assessment of the relationship between Robert Walpole and the City during his Long Ministry: ‘Walpole’s twenty one years in power brought great benefits to the City, but its favourable influence was never readily available to him and its hostility at the end was a factor in his final defeat by his Tory opponents’.

of 41



The rebuilding of the Guildhall Art GalleryRichard Gilbert Scott

19 November 2004

An account by Richard Gilbert Scott, architect of the scheme, of the tortuous process which led to the rebuilding of the Guildhall Art Gallery. While itt received planning permission in 1964 it was opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 1999.

The Corporation of London Cemetery and CrematoriumAnthony Moss, Esq., MA

28 February 2005

A history of the Corporation of London Cemetery and Crematorium, designed by William Haywood. The contracts for enclosing the first 98 acres were let in 1854. When the first burials took place in 1856, they were on unconsecrated land, as the consecration of the burial areas could not proceed without untangling the financial arrangement with the 108 parishes of the City. The first cremation took place in 1905. With 200 acres, it is the largest cemetery in London and one of the largest municipal cemeteries in Europe.

Tales of the unexpected: the Corporation and Captives in BarbaryMiss Betty Masters OBE BA FSA

27 June 2005

This paper investigates the City’s involvement in assisting with the ‘redeeming of captives in the dominium of Turkey’ especially on the Barbary coast of North Africa in the sixteenth century

St Paul’s and the City before 1300Professor Derek Keene

24 October 2005

An account of the development of St Paul’s in the early centuries, from 604 to 1300. St Paul’s was a major focal point in the life of the City and a meeting place of the folkmoot, a political and judicial institution which faded away by 1300.

Nelson and the City

Alderman David Wootton

13 February 2006

This paper charts the specific events which make up the relationship between Nelson and the City, from the celebration of three of the four major naval battles in which he took part (and which figure on the Nelson monument in the Great Hall at Guildhall) to his funeral on 9 January 1806.

of 41



The Rise and Decline of Guilds - with particular reference to the Guilds of Tylers & Bricklayers in Great Britain and Ireland.Tom Hoffman, LLB

19 June 2006

An account of the growth and decline of Guilds from the reign of Henry 1 to the Municipal Corporation Act of 1835 when almost all the guilds in the country were required to surrender the last remaining areas of control they still exerted over trade and industry. The paper uses Tilers and Bricklayers as a specific example, and references are drawn from all over the country.

Apollo’s Swan and LyreDr. Andrew Parmley, MusM

23 October 2006

The objective of this paper is to reflect the City’s long interest in the Arts by discussing the origins of drama and sacred and secular music in the City. It considers the early histories of the Parish Clerks’ and Musicians’ Companies and the City Waits as well as the Painter Stainers’ Company, -- all historical custodians of the Arts in the City.

A ticket to attend: the laying of the first stone of the new London Bridge, 1825John Bird, O.B.E.

22 January 2007

This paper described the ceremonies associated with the laying of the first stone of the New London Bridge in 1825.

The formation and early years of the London Chamber of Commerce and IndustryBrian Harris

11 June 2007

This account shows how Mansion House, Guildhall and the City were involved in the foundation of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1881 after several attempts. The paper also covers the crucial role played by Lord Mayor Sir William McArthur in its creation and its continuing role to this day

London’s role in the history of English porcelain

James Sewell, O.B.E., M.A., F.S.A.

15 October 2007

The manufacture of porcelain in London developed with the advent of tea drinking from the seventeenth century onwards. The history of various London factories is examined here, demonstrating the importance of London in the history of English porcelain. Excerpts from a ballad about the damage caused by a bull in a London china shop in 1773 are provided as a conclusion.

of 41



The evolution of UK pension funds: some observations and less familiar aspects

Ken Ayers

11 February 2008

Starting with the first organised pension scheme for Royal Navy Officers in the 1670’s, this paper follows the historical development of pension provision, -- from deferred annuities to final salary related schemes and thence to defined contribution schemes. The actuarial reasoning for the shift and its historical context is carefully appraised.

Ivan Luckin and the sale of London Bridge

Archie Galloway

16 June 2008

A gently humorous account of Ivan Luckin’s role in achieving the sale of Rennie’s London Bridge in 1968 and its subsequent transfer to Lake Havasu City in the Arizona desert

The City of London’s Open Spaces

Christine Cohen

13 October 2008

An account of the City of London’s Open Spaces, how they came into the City’s stewardship and recent developments associated with their management

The City's Estates in the 17th century

James Sewell, O.B.E., M.A., F.S.A

23 February 2009

While this analysis ranges widely over the management of the City’s estates in the seventeenth century, particular attention is focussed on the period around 1630, when the great series of City Rentals properly begins. The City’s extensive land management experience with both City Lands and d Bridge House Estates is reflected in the growing significance of the City Lands Committee which came into being in 1592. Specific reference is made to the award to the City of the Royal Contract of 1627/28, through which the City Corporation managed to reimburse two earlier royal loans and to obtain a further advance of £120,000.

Southwark: London’s Second City?

Deputy Robin Sherlock

15 June 2009

This paper reviews the close links between Southwark and the City and the particular significance of the bridge which, from Roman times onwards, has linked the two areas.

of 41



Smithfield: the in-between years

Deputy Michael Welbank

26 October 2009

The history of Smithfield Market between 1837 (the date at which it was vividly described by Dickens in Oliver Twist as an overcrowded and poorly managed market) and 1868 (when William Davis’ peaceful and orderly depiction of the market was made). An important step in the resolution of the problem was the Smithfield Removal Act of 1852 which secured the City’s rights to build, at is own expense, run and retain the revenues of any new cattle market even outside the City boundaries.

The Ulster connection – the City Livery Companies in Northern Ireland

Barbara Newman

22 February 2010

To follow

St Martin-le-Grand: collegiate church and den of iniquity

The Revd. Dr. Martin Dudley

28 June 2010

To follow

The Houndsditch Murders: a miscarriage of justice that led to mass murder

Bob Duffield

25 October 2010

An account of the Houndsdith murders when three unarmed City of London policemen were gunned down in the street by revolutionaries who had found refuge in London from political repression in Russia, Latvia and other East European States.

Drapers’ Gardens -their significance in both ancient and modern times

John Bennett

31 January 2011

To follow

of 41

guildhall historical association articles published 1944 ... papers -w… · web viewtitle, by...

Documents